Lebanon army pledges to defeat Takfiri militants

The Lebanese army has vowed to defeat Takfiri terrorists, saying it expects a war of “attrition” with the militants sneaking into Lebanon from neighboring Syria.

“We hit them hard and we will continue to hit them until we defeat them no matter how much time it takes,” General Jean Kahwaji, the chief of the Lebanese armed forces, said on Thursday.

“Our battle with terrorism and terrorists is open-ended and we expect it to be a war of attrition,” he added.The Lebanese general also pledged to intensify operations for tightening the noose around the Takfiri militants.

“If the terrorists are responding to the preventive strikes carried out by the army, then … there will be more similar strikes,” Kahwaji said.The conflict in Syria has spilled over into Lebanon. Northern Lebanon has been the epicenter of fierce clashes between the supporters and opponents of the Syrian government.

The al-Qaeda linked al-Nusra Front and the ISIL Takfiri militants overran the eastern Lebanese town of Arsal, situated about 124 kilometers (77 miles) northeast of Beirut, in August, killing and capturing some 20 soldiers and police officers there. They later executed three of the hostages.

Over the past months, Lebanon has been suffering from terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda-linked militants and random rocket attacks, which are viewed as a spillover of the conflict in Syria.

The ISIL Takfiri terrorists currently control parts of Syria mostly in the east and north.